After an election squeaker last year, Clark kept power only to face trade imbalance challenges after a long Kiwi boom. A cabinet minister's resignation in a scandal earlier this year also rocked the boat. Clark wasn't distracted, though, from continuing to promote trade ties from China to Chile for one of the world's most globalized economies. With a 30-year career in the Labor Party, her success at forging coalitions has made her popular both inside and outside her party. Under her stewardship, New Zealand has enjoyed a resurgent economy and low unemployment. Clark continues to encourage New Zealand businesses to look to markets abroad. —Tatiana Serafin

Published sources include the women's official biographies, Factiva, International Who's Who of 2005, Marquis Who's Who, World Almanac of Famous People, Palgrave Who's Who 2005, the Congressional Yellow Book, the Judicial Yellow Book, Europa World Year Book, Hoover's Online, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings, World Economic Forum, the World Book Encyclopedia. Rankings generated by combining various financial figures with other media and biography metrics; global media mentions from Factiva.

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